Tangled Lies by Connie Mann

  Tangled Lies is full of action, suspense, and heartbreak.

Sasha returns home for her mother's birthday and gets tangled in the mystery of what happened to her brother so many years ago.  Sasha feels like she lets the family down in so many ways, so when her mama asks her to check into her brother's disappearance to find the answers she can't say no.  Sasha is caught in the middle because her father doesn't want her checking things out.  The only person will to help her is Jesse, her high school sweetheart, and now a convicted felon.  At least that is what his record says, and the town believes.

Jesse has returned to Safe Harbor to restore a boat, and enter it in a race to win the prize money.  First he has to get the boat running, and he is encountering resistance from some people in town.

Jesse and Sasha renew their friendship and romance.  They each have their own issues with the people of Safe Harbor, and those issues end up pulling them together to find answers to their problems.

I loved the action in this story, and trying to figure out what really happened to Tony. My heart would break for Sasha as she struggled to do what was right for her family. Can Sasha fulfill a wish for her mom without alienating her father and the rest of the town.  Can Jesse repair a boat and win the race all while trying to capture Sasha's heart?  Read Tangled Lies to find out.

My thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy to enjoy for my review of the book.

Counted with the Stars by Connilyn Cossette

Egypt has always held a certain fascination for me, so reading about the Exodus from an Egyptian's point of view captured my attention.  This story opened my eyes to the plagues in a new and real way.  The stories of the plagues became real, as I started to scratch myself feeling as if the lice were crawling all over me.  I had never thought about the misery that all the people experienced.  The Biblical account will never be read the same way again.

Kiya starts out as one of the masters of Egypt, but things quickly turn on their head when her father signs her over to a life of servitude due to debts. Kiya has to learn to be the one ordered around, and dress a lady.  Her mistress hates her, and she can't seem to do things right.  Fortunately for Kiya the master of the house looks out for her.  She also learns from another servant, Shira.  Shira is a Hebrew slave.  The friendship of these girls shapes their lives in so many ways.

Cossette has researched her history, as well as knowing her Bible.  She is skilled at weaving together a story about a famous Bible story in a way that opens your eyes to things you simply gloss over in reading your Bible.  I know that I read that some Egyptians escaped with the Hebrew slaves.  I never thought about why they would choose to leave their homeland.  Now I see just how devastated this country was after the 10 plagues.  It makes more sense why people left with Moses and his people.

This story is eye opening.  While you think you know the story of the Exodus, you will find just how much you don't know about it.  The complex characters draw you into the story and you enjoy learning about them.  The complexity of Egyptians and Hebrews being friends and falling in love are told in a refreshing way.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to her next book in this series.  This is a fresh look at a well told story.

My thanks to Bethany House publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-book to review.

Playing the Part by Jen Turano

Playing the Part is the third book in the Class of their own series.  This was the first book that I read in the series,  I didn't feel lost in reading this book.  This book can stand on its own.  Lucetta's story is being told here, and while her friends make appearances in this story, you do not need to have read about them to understand the friendship.

Lucetta Plum is an actress on the New York stage.  She has lots of fans, and one threatens her life.  Lucetta's friend graciously offers her single grandson's estate as a hideout.

Bram Haverstein is handsome and rich.  This makes him appealing to people, until they realize he has some eccentric tendencies. He remains mysterious about his career, and his fascination with Lucetta could prove to be a problem as well.

The mystery of the castle and hilarious antics of the characters draw you in to this story very quickly.  A goat that hates skirts is just one of the scenes that makes you laugh out loud.  Being greeted by a cannon being fired over your head, and diving into the moat for cover is another comedic scene.

While I enjoyed the book, I wouldn't put it in my absolute favorites.  This book was too lighthearted for my taste.   The story line is straightforward and uncomplicated.  I wanted the mystery to be developed more throughout the story.  Instead it remains in the background, while the humor takes the starring role.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for the free ebook copy in exchange for my review.

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

 In the usual Tessa Afshar fashion, we meet yet another woman from the Bible that is destined to be your friend.  Land of Silence is due out in May of 2016.  I received a complimentary preview e-copy to read and review from Tyndale House Publishers and Netgalley.com.

This is the story of Elianna, who is better known as the woman who simply touched Jesus garment and was healed of a 12 year issue of blood.  I have always wrestled with this short passage, thinking this woman was so shy.  Afshar shows just how strong this woman really was, and what courage and faith she really had.  Afshar fleshes out an entire life to the point you feel you have been a part of this woman's life.  I can't wait to get to Heaven and sit down for coffee and chat to hear her real story.  For now, I thank Ms. Afshar and God that I have this story to fill my imagination and bring life to another part of the Bible.

In true Afshar fashion, she pays attention to historical detail, as well as shining a light on Biblical truths.  I had never connected the two twelves in the story of this woman, and the little girl that Jesus was on his way to heal.  I thought that was brilliant.

We witness the story of Elianna's life starting at a young age.  While she has hopes and dreams, we go through her life seeing how circumstances and choices can reshape dreams.  Some dreams do work out to become a reality, while other dreams are put on hold for what seems a lifetime.  The lessons we can learn from Elianna are "Never giving up hope".  Afshar uses the Biblical account of this woman's life as the climax of the story.  Through this we see how much God loves each one of us.  Life will throw us curve balls, and we have the choice to continue to trust that God knows what He is doing with our lives, or strike out on our own and grow bitter.  Read about Elianna and her amazing faith that helped her to believe that she could be healed by simply touching Jesus garment.  You will find that by reading this book, you have reached out to touch Jesus and he will heal your broken parts too.

Again my thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for the advanced e-copy to read and review.

Undaunted Hope by Jody Hedlund

This is book 3 of the Beacons of Hope series.

I wasn't sure how I would like this book as I haven't read the previous two books, but I never felt confused in reading this book.  I could tell that the previous books might flesh out a few of the characters in a deeper way, but I was so pleased that I didn't feel I needed to read the other books to enjoy this to its fullest.  This is due to the excellent writing by Jody Hedlund.

Undaunted Hope is about Tessa Taylor was hired to teach school in Eagle Harbor,  Michigan.  That is until she arrives at the town and they find out T. Taylor is actually female!  Eagle Harbor has never had a female teacher most teachers were male in the 1870s.  It is too late in the year to send for a replacement.  A single woman can not live by herself and maintain the school, so different housing has to be figured out. Alex Bjorklund refuses to let Tessa move in with Percival Updegraff. While Percival may be the superintendent of schools and the chief mine clerk, he is still single.  Two single people living together is not acceptable.   Alex knows of a mining family that could use the extra income of having someone room with them.  Tessa agrees to living with the family, and quickly gets down to teaching.  Alex and Tessa continue to run into each other as he drops his niece and nephew off at school each morning.  These children quickly endear themselves to Tessa as they are needing a woman's love and affection.  Tessa willing gives them the extra love they are looking for but doesn't realize that the kids are hoping their father falls for Tessa.  Tessa focuses on bettering the community she is working in.  She sees the need for teaching the children and adults to read.  She starts a class for the miners to come to the school in the evenings after a long shift in the mine to learn to read.  While Tessa wants to help out the community, her desires may backfire once Percival finds out what she is up to.  Alex and Tessa become good friends, but will Alex's illiteracy prove to be a roadblock in their friendship or will it be Tessa's hatred for lighthouses that will doom their friendship.

I enjoyed this historical tale of love, self sacrifice, and adventure.  As I stated earlier, I had not read the other books in the series.  So all of these characters were new to me.  Hedlund does a magnificent job of writing a story that can be read as a stand alone book, yet is part of a series that would only flesh out the characters backgrounds in deeper ways had I read the other books.  Hedlund takes an honest look at the life of miners in the 1800s.  She doesn't shy away from the brutal realities of deaths that were suffered due to horrible working conditions.  She adds these dark colors to her writing which only bring out the hope that an education brought to these people to find a better way of life.  An excellent message of hope.  The importance of having an education is brought out as well.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers as well as Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this ebook to read and review.

Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

  40 miles up the Hudson River lies one of the oldest mansions in the United States. Dierenpark is the name of the Vandermark mansion that was built it 1635.  It is a magnificient home that overlooks the river.  People come for a day trip to paint this home and hear the stories of mystery that surround the Vandermark family.  The gothic style architecture only adds to the macabre mystery of Dierenpark, which is Dutch for paradise.  This house is far from a paradise for this family.  The house has been vacant for years, being taken care of by only a few servants.

Sopia Van Riijn is one of the caretakers of this house who has taken a few liberties that servants should never do.  She has an interest in a new study of weather forecasting.  She set up a weather station on the roof of the mansion to help local farmers learn about storms that may come their way.  The problem is that the Vandermark family never gave their permission to have this set up on their roof.  So when Quentin Vandermark arrives, Sophie finds herself in a precarious situation.

Quentin Vandermark returns to Dierenpark on the request of his grandfather.  Quentin, who is an architect by trade, is tasked with the  job of demolishing the mansion.  His other task is to build a relationship with his young son, Pieter, who was kidnapped a year ago and locked in a closet for months at a time.  Pieter is leary of people, but quickly befriends Sopie.  Quentin hires Sopie to be a nanny to Pieter.  Quentin’s demeaner with people is rather harsh, and he fires the skeletal staff upon arrival.

Sopie’s pure and gentle spirit proves to be a balm to Pieter’s wounded spirit.  She helps Pieter to discover the wonders of the world that every young boy loves to encounter.  He quickly becomes adept at catching bugs and frogs, and even learns to read the weather instruments that Sopie has on the roof of the mansion.  Sophie’s sweet spirit also work magic on Quentin, and we see his heart start to change and grow to enjoy being around his son once again.

Camden’s masterful weaving of characters and complicated plot keeps you turning the pages of this novel.  The mystery of the mansion slowly unwinds while the reader becomes deeply involved with the characters.  The mystery builds to the last chapter with a jaw dropping surprise.  Readers will enjoy Camden’s attention to detail and rich characterization.  A delight to read.

My thanks go to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book to read for my review.

Not by Sight by Kate Breslin

Espionage WWI style

Grace Mabry thinks she knows how to fight a war, and those who are not doing participating in the war should be ashamed of themselves.  Grace's brother is a hero fighting for England in France.  Jack Benningham, Viscount of Walenford, is a spoiled playboy who can afford to ignore the call to arms. That is what the public sees, but reality is he is a highly trained spy working to catch a dangerous enemy.  Grace and Jack have an encounter at a ball, where Grace gives the notorious playboy a white feather.  The white feather is a symbol of cowardice.  Grace hopes to shame Jack into joining the fighting force.  When Jack receives this feather from the beautifully enchanting woman, he looses track of his quarry.  He quickly chases after the spy, and gets caught in an explosion and looses his sight and ability to fight for his country.

Breslin's attention to detail and history, draw the reader into her story.  The intrigue of who the elusive spy is woven throughout the story and keeps the reader guessing.  The misunderstandings and misconceptions that the characters have of each other brings a sense of humor and delight to the story as Grace and Jack discover their true characters.  This war time romance is delightful.  I am becoming a Kate Breslin fan.  She breathes fresh air to dust off history in a way that resonates in your heart and soul.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with the free e-copy of the book to read and review.